


Vigil

by GirlwithCurls98



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Family Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury Recovery, Sharing a Bed, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 17:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20679071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlwithCurls98/pseuds/GirlwithCurls98
Summary: What do you do when your healer needs healing? Vox Machina sits and takes care of their smallest member. A simple, fluffy piece about chosen family. Updated 9/12/2020





	Vigil

No one had slept yet. They were all too tired to sleep, a tired that weighed so heavily it had become a physical tether to consciousness. No one had eaten either; they’d been running on water, fear, and adrenaline for the better part of two days now. They hadn’t even bothered to clean up. Blood,sweat, and grime still clung to them like the awful memories of the last hours. Vox Machina was teetering on the edge of collapse, propelling themselves forward by sheer force of will. And the one person who would lecture them, who’d tell them to stop being so silly and force them to take care of themselves- had been beaten within an inch of her life. She’d dared to stand up for herself and now was fighting for every breath. 

Pike Trickfoot lay still in Grog’s arms, looking unnervingly childlike when compared to the hulking goliath. Unlike the others- she had been cleaned up,wrapped in blankets and stiff white bandages, the worst of her injuries still healing. Any magic that could’ve been used to help had been expended in rescuing her, so they’d offered up every spare coin for healing potions the moment they’d gotten to safety. Her pulse had steadied, but she was still pale, still wheezing, and would not wake. 

The smart thing to do would be to sleep. Magic would only return once they’d rested, magic that could be used to speed the gnome’s healing. But they couldn’t, not yet. They hadn’t been there when she’d been taken and tortured; their penance was being here now. 

So Vox Machina waited. they had piled into a single room, the only one left in the tiny town’s only inn, and they waited. 

Grog waited, back braced against the wall, sitting cross-legged on the bed that creaked under the team’s combined weight. The same arms that easily crushed lesser men now cradled her limp body gently. Pike had been found hours ago; Grog hadn’t put her down since. It went unspoken that no one would try to take her from him. 

Scanlan waited, perched between Grog and Keyleth. He was humming- a quiet, amorphous melody. The lullaby was laced with magic to keep her sleep free from nightmares. He hated that he wasn’t able to protect her from the real monsters. 

Every so often, he’d shift forward and press a soaked cloth to Pike’s lips, coaxing her to drink. He couldn’t lean too far before Keyleth would tug him back with a firm grip. The crass bard was being unusually patient, letting her repair a popped seam in his coat. It gave her something to do while she waited, stopping the druid from scratching herself until she bled. Sewing forced her to keep her hands steady, but Vax could feel Keyleth trembling- fear coiling around her body like a constricting vine. 

Vax’ildan leaned his back against Keyleth’s while they waited, putting himself between her and the door. Blood stained fingers carded through Vex’s hair, gently working out the knots as she laid with her head in his lap. After the rescue, the twins had slowly drifted closer to one another. They tangled together, limbs overlapping, hearts beating in sync. Every movement, every breath, they were always aware of the other. A stranger observing would’ve sworn they were one mind split into two bodies. 

Vex’ahlia was unusually still and quiet. She waited,occasionally reaching down to scritch behind Trinket’s ears. Though the bear couldn’t completely understand, he knew something was wrong. If he wasn’t curled up on the floor by his Vex, he was pacing the room like a furry sentinel, a worried sound rumbling low in his throat. 

If she couldn’t reach Trinket, Vex would nudge Percy, squeezing his knee in an open offer of comfort. Unlike the others, Percy was not intensely fond of physical affection, but still craved the safety of their shared presence. He waited at the end of the bed, keeping himself busy with Pike’s armor. 

Percy liked being useful. He liked fixing things. But the only thing he could fix was the armor. The shining gold and blues had been dulled by rust, soot, and blood, but with patience and precision he managed to smooth out the dents and polish it to a high shine. 

He knew how much pride Pike took in her appearance, not for vanity’s sake, but out of devotion to Sarenrae. When they found her, as wounded and delirious as she ws, Pike had been clutching her holy symbol, muttering prayers with what breath she had left. 

None of the other members of Vox Machina considered themselves particularly religious. Even Vax distrusted the gods, despite unexpectedly catching the attention of the Raven Queen a few weeks earlier. But Sarenrae had clearly been watching over Pike and so her holy symbol had been placed on the nightstand next to a lit candle. It was a poor offering to the goddess that had brought many of them back from death, but it was all they could manage. Vox Machina watched the wax drip down the length of the candle, prayed without truly knowing if anyone was listening, and waited. 

“You should get some sleep, darling.” Vex said, the first to break the silence in what seemed like hours. 

Percy looked up, regarding the twins with a controlled expression, but it was impossible to mask his fatigue. 

“I’m alright. I’ll sleep when you sleep.” You, being the twins in collective, not that either one believed his claim that he was fine. 

“We’re okay.” Vax lied. “I’ll sleep when Kiki sleeps.” He reached behind him to clasp Keyleth’s hand, getting tangled in the spiderweb she’d druid-crafted to fidget with. 

“I’m fine. I’ll sleep when Grog sleeps.” Keyleth was a poor liar. But her friends would forgive her this time. 

Grog and Scanlan shook their heads simultaneously. 

“I’ll sleep when she’s better.” 

Grog wasn’t lying. And since no one wanted to consider or even mention the other possibility, they stayed awake. They waited. 

No one knew how long they waited. There were no windows, no sunbeams to cast shadows upon their family vigil. A bottle of honey-wine was found in someone’s pack, passed around, sipped in silence. Their minds muddled by drink, hunger, and exhaustion- no one knew how long it had been when a small voice broke the silence. 

“You guys look like shit.” 

Everyone jumped at the sudden sound, scrambling over one another to circle around Pike as she shifted in Grog’s embrace. Color had returned to her face, her eyes were dull but open and focused, breath no longer a strangled wheeze. She smiled, letting Scanlan brush sweat slicked strands of hair away from her eyes. 

“Hey Pickle.” Vax murmured. “Feeling better?” 

“Mmhm.” She nodded. “Sore. But I’m okay. You didn’t have to stay up for me.” 

Grog shook his head, cupping hers in one huge palm. “O’course we did. Couldn’t let our monstah be alone.” 

The party chuckled, a weight coming off of them as they did. Only now did they truly feel safe. Their little sunspot was alive and awake and teasing them. The world was dangerous and unforgiving, but here in this room, all was right. They’d give anything to stay in that moment, all seven of them wrapped around each other. Bruised, hungry, hurting, exhausted, but whole. 

Pike reached up and felt blindly around her neck. “My symbol, wait, where-” 

Keyleth clasped her hand, squeezing it tight, grounding them both. “It’s okay, we kept it safe. It’s right there.” 

She pointed to the bedside table where the symbol of Sarenrae sat. They’d been waiting there so long that the candle had nearly burned out, but like Pike’s faith, the flame still shone brightly. Percy slipped the necklace over Pike’s head, returning it to its rightful place. Pike exhaled, like a warm blanket had been draped over her during Winter’s Crest. 

“Bet you’re her favorite.” Vex joked. She could feel her brother flinch ever so slightly, and leaned on him more heavily in reassurance. 

Pike smiled, turning the symbol over and over in her hands. “My Lady has no favorites, but she does take care of us. Someone needs to, you’re all a mess.” 

Everyone did their best to look apologetic, but Pike wasn’t fooled. No matter how many times she told them to be careful, they’d run themselves into the ground if it would help their family. It was unbelievably frustrating. And incredibly fitting. 

With her last bit of energy, Pike cast a gentle spell over the group. It didn’t take much, their bodies were eager to give in. They curled up together, eyes beginning to drift closed. Even Grog, his reserves seemingly endless, found himself snoring from just a bit of her magical influence. But Vax was stubborn, still on edge,tension coiled deep in every muscle. Pike reached for him and whispered softly, to not disturb the others. 

“It’s okay. We’re safe, there’s no need to keep watch.” 

Her words, sweet with divine compulsion, gently pushed Vax over the precipice of sleep. The cleric smiled as she looked over her family, all seven of them huddled together on one too small bed. Only then could she relax herself, snuggling back to sleep in Grog’s embrace. They all deserved a few hours of peaceful, unbroken rest. And if she woke before they did, Pike was more than happy to wait. 

**Author's Note:**

> UPDATED on 9/12/2020
> 
> First Critical Role fic! This is just a sweet, short piece so I played a bit loosely with the overall timeline, but I hope y'all enjoyed regardless. 
> 
> I live for constructive criticism and comments, so please leave them below!


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